SINGAPORE, January 26, 2015 — Almost 200 million people moved to urban areas in East Asia from 2000-2010 – a figure that would be the world’s sixth-largest population for any single country, according... Show More + to new data released today by the World Bank.For the first time, the data compares urban areas and their populations in a consistent manner across East Asia, providing governments and local leaders with a better understanding of the shape and scale of the growth so they can get urbanization right – creating opportunities for all.“Rapid urbanization is a significant challenge for East Asia, but we cannot manage what we cannot measure,” said Axel van Trotsenburg, the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Regional Vice President. “We’re releasing this data so urban leaders can get a better picture and take action to ensure that urban growth benefits the increasing number of people moving to cities, especially the poor.”Analyzed in a new report titled “East Asia’s Changing Urban Landscape: Me Show Less -

World Bank approves US$32.97 million for regional fisheries programWASHINGTON, December 22, 2014 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved US$32.97 million in International Development... Show More + Association (IDA) grants and credits to support the Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program (PROP) – a regional program of operations to strengthen the management of select Pacific Island fisheries.PROP will initially provide funding to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency to improve the sustainable use of oceanic fisheries, coastal fisheries, and the critical habitats on which they depend. “The social and economic benefits gained from ensuring the strength and sustainability of what is a major source of national revenue and livelihoods in many countries will be significant,” said Franz Drees-Gross, Country Director for the World Bank in Timor-Les Show Less -

Development agencies, international financial institutions can play a vital roleWASHINGTON, December 3, 2014—Violence against women and girls poses a major obstacle to ending poverty, but development agencies... Show More + and international financial institutions are uniquely positioned to tackle this global epidemic, according to a new resource guide released Wednesday.“Violence against women and girls is an outrage,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said. “It demands urgent attention as a violation of fundamental human rights. Along with terrible individual suffering, it also imposes steep, avoidable economic costs on families, communities, and economies—helping keep some of the world’s most vulnerable people in poverty.”Such violence is widely recognized as hindering social and economic development as well as achievement of internationally agreed targets such as the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to the guide—published by the World Bank Group, the Global Women’ Show Less -

Forecast Shows Region to Grow Nearly 7% This Year and NextSINGAPORE, October 6, 2014 – Developing countries in East Asia Pacific will see slightly slower economic growth this year, but the pace of growth... Show More + in the region, excluding China, will pick up next year, as the gradual recovery in high-income economies boosts demand for exports from the region, according to the East Asia Pacific Economic Update released today by the World Bank. Still, developing East Asia Pacific remains the fastest-growing region in the world.Developing East Asia will grow by 6.9% this year and next, down from 7.2% in 2013, the report says. In China, growth will ease slightly to 7.4% this year and 7.2% in 2015, as the government seeks to put the economy on a more sustainable path with policies addressing financial vulnerabilities and structural constraints. Excluding China, growth in developing countries in the region is expected to bottom out at 4.8% this year, before rising to 5.3% in 2015, as exports rise and Show Less -

New Report Urges Countries to Adopt Social Protection Policies to Cover More Workers JAKARTA, May 8, 2014 – As rapid economic development has pushed the percentage of people working in most East... Show More + Asian countries to among the highest in the world, policy makers should enact labor regulations and social protection policies to benefit all workers, including those in the large informal economy, according to a new World Bank report, East Asia Pacific at Work: Employment, Enterprise and Well-Being.In the last 20 years, East Asia Pacific saw rising productivity amid a brisk structural transformation, with large movements of people into cities and higher output in agriculture, manufacturing and services. Countries that were poor a generation ago successfully integrated into the global value chain, taking advantage of low labor costs. In most countries in the region, the share of the population working or seeking work, including women, is higher than other countries with similar i Show Less -

WASHINGTON D.C., April 10, 2014 – At a signing ceremony held on the occasion of the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings the Hon. Patrick Pruaitch M.P., Papua New Guinea’s Treasurer and Axel van Trotsenburg,... Show More + Vice President for the East Asia and Pacific Region at the World Bank, signed agreements that will officially release US$150 million in International Development Association (IDA) credits for two major initiatives.The first agreement provides US$30 million in additional funds to expand the Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP)—currently the country’s largest agriculture program—which will aim to double coffee and cocoa production over 5 years for an estimated 60,000 small farmers and their families. It will build on existing successes of the project which, since 2010, has enabled 18,000 farmers to rejuvenate their coffee and cocoa, towards increasing production as well as incomes for rural households.The second agreement provides for US$126.5 million in additional financi Show Less -

Structural Reforms Key to Long-Term Growth and ProsperitySINGAPORE, April 7, 2014 – Developing countries in the East Asia Pacific region will see stable economic growth this year, bolstered by a recovery... Show More + in high-income economies and the market’s modest response so far to the Federal Reserve’s tapering of its quantitative easing, according to the East Asia Pacific Economic Update released today by the World Bank.Developing East Asia will grow by 7.1 percent this year, largely unchanged from 2013, the report says. As a result, East Asia remains the fastest growing region in the world, despite a slowdown from the average growth rate of 8.0 percent from 2009 to 2013. In China, growth will ease slightly, to 7.6 percent this year from 7.7 percent in 2013. Excluding China, the developing countries in the region will grow by 5.0 percent, slightly down from 5.2 percent last year.“East Asia Pacific has served as the world’s main growth engine since the global financial crisis,” said Axel van Tro Show Less -

Hardship & Vulnerability Report Recommends Increased Investment in Data, Social ProtectionSUVA, Fiji, 11 March 2014 --- Today at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, the World Bank launched... Show More + a regional report, “Hardship and Vulnerability in the Pacific Island Countries.” Supported by the Government of Australia, the report provides comprehensive new analysis of hardship and vulnerability across the region. Drawing on evidence from Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Kiribati, Fiji and Vanuatu, the report finds that extreme poverty remains rare in the Pacific, but that over 20 percent of people in most countries live in hardship – meaning they are unable to meet all of their basic needs such as food, fuel and medicines. “Pacific Island Countries are some of the world’s most at risk countries to economic and environmental shocks and people face a number of growing threats, from NCDs to natural disasters,” said Melissa Adelman, World Bank Economis Show Less -

World Bank Providing US$30 Million in New FundsWASHINGTON, February 28, 2014 –Today the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved an additional US$30 million for the Productive Partnerships in... Show More + Agriculture Project (PPAP), Papua New Guinea’s single largest agriculture initiative, which will benefit up to 60,000 coffee and cocoa farmers and their families.Over 85 percent of the country’s population lives in rural areas and most depend on small-scale agriculture for their food and livelihoods. Coffee and cocoa are two major cash crops which provide critical income for more than half a million households.PPAP aims to work with smallholder farmers to double yield and improve the quality of their coffee and cocoa, and increase their incomes.“PPAP is a hugely important initiative, designed to help thousands of growers get higher earnings from their produce,” said Laura Bailey, World Bank Country Manager for Papua New Guinea. “It is also providing a critical boost to the coffee and coc Show Less -

Additional Financing to Better Connect People to Schools, Hospitals, Markets WASHINGTON, February 19, 2014 – Today the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved an additional US$126.5 million... Show More + credit for the Second Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program (RMRP II), which will rehabilitate hundreds of kilometers of roads in coastal provinces in Papua New Guinea.Currently many of the country’s roads become impassable during the rainy season when, outside of the main urban centers, many people can be cut off and travel limited even to nearby services and markets, due to lack of reliable access.“Vibrant regional economies need better and safer roads that connect people to schools, hospitals, jobs and markets for their goods,” said James Reichert, Senior Infrastructure Specialist at the World Bank. “These new funds will improve transport links for more people in more provinces, helping ensure that people can travel to and from rural as well as urban areas.”The first road planned Show Less -

PORT MORESBY, December 4, 2013 - Today the Papua New Guinea Government and development partners supporting the PNG energy sector, kicked off a two day consultative workshop to look at the country’s National... Show More + Electrification Roll out Plan (NEROP), which aims to increase electricity access to 70 percent of households by 2030.According to current estimates, between 10 – 12.4 percent of PNG households have access to electricity. As a result, Government has put in place key policy initiatives to develop the energy sector under the 2010 – 2050 Development Strategic Plan (DSP) that will make sure the majority of people in Papua New Guinea access and enjoy the benefits of electricity.The objective of the Implementing PNG’s Electricity Policy National Stakeholders Consultation Workshop is to facilitate an informed discussion and consensus among Government, development partners, the private sector, and civil society organizations on the principles and pillars upon which the NEROP can be prepared Show Less -

Port Moresby, November 5, 2013 –Today, the Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG), together with the World Bank, launched the National Survey on Financial Capability.The National Survey of Financial Competency... Show More + will help develop a national baseline across income groups in PNG on financial capability. The survey result is expected to provide a comprehensive understanding of financial capability of PNG population, including the decision making on money management, financial planning habits, and use of informal and formal financial services in PNG. “The National Financial Capability study is unique as it will provide an important information on the management of money and the use of financial services by households in Papua New Guinea at national level, rural and urban, lower income and higher income, highlands and coastal. We will also be able to measure our progress in achieving our financial inclusion targets, and compare ourselves against other countries.” Governor Bakani shared with the Show Less -

Sydney, Australia October 29, 2013—Palau, Tonga, and Vanuatu are among the Pacific region’s top performers when it comes to implementing business reforms over the last year, according to the World Bank... Show More + Group’s annual report measuring the ease of doing business in 189 economies across the globe.Doing Business 2014: Understanding Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises finds that Palau introduced legislation that strengthened secured transaction systems and made it easier to enforce contracts, while Vanuatu and Tonga established private credit bureaus to improve access to finance.“Creating an enabling business environment and attractive investment climate are key to increasing income and reducing poverty, so it is very encouraging to see some of the smaller Pacific island nations introducing effective reforms over the last 12 months,” said IFC’s Senior Operations Officer for the Pacific Jonathon Kirkby. “Overall, the Pacific is still a relatively difficult place to do business, Show Less -

Changing global outlook highlights need for structural reforms to sustain growth and share prosperitySINGAPORE, October 7, 2013 - Developing East Asia is expanding at a slower pace as China shifts from... Show More + an export-oriented economy and focuses on domestic demand. Growth in larger middle income countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand is also softening in light of lower investment, lower global commodity prices and lower than expected growth of exports, says the East Asia Pacific Economic Update released today.According to the report, the growth forecast for developing countries in the region is 7.1 percent for 2013, and 7.2 percent for 2014. While this is a slight downward revision from World Bank projections in April 2013, developing East Asia is leading other regions.“East Asia Pacific continues to be the engine driving the global economy, contributing 40 percent of the world’s GDP growth - more than any other region. With overall global growth accelerating, now is the time Show Less -

WASHINGTON, September 30, 2013 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a project to support the Capturing Coral Reef and Related Ecosystem Services Project, with US$4.5 million in... Show More + grant funding provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This regional project will design innovative models for valuing mangrove, sea grass and coral reef ecosystems services to inform policy and decision making for improved environmental stewardship of these critical resources. The project focuses on Indonesia and the Philippines, where coral reefs and related ecosystem services are critical to livelihoods, food security and climate resilience, and includes activities to: quantify the value and market potential of coral reef and mangrove ecosystem services; forge community-led innovation in capturing and sustaining benefits from marine eco-system services and enhancing resilience in the face of climate change; and promote behavior change through outreach and widely disseminate Show Less -

Despite improvements, diseases affecting young children persist in low- and lower-middle-income countries in the region, while ischemic heart disease and lung cancer are rising in many countriesWASHINGTON,... Show More + September 4, 2013 – In the East Asia and Pacific region, most diseases that affect children rapidly declined over the past two decades, but chronic diseases are killing more people prematurely and causing increasing disability.Demographic changes, such as population growth and increasing average age, have likely contributed to the substantial rise of non-communicable diseases and injuries. Health loss from ischemic heart disease, or coronary artery disease, increased by 76%, lung cancer by 86%, and diabetes by 76% between 1990 and 2010. As countries in East Asia and Pacific have become more developed, road injuries have taken a growing toll on human health. For example, in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, road injuries were among the five leading causes of health loss. Early d Show Less -

Already vulnerable region faces rising sea-levels, ocean warming, and more intense typhoons, says new report WASHINGTON, D. C., June 19, 2013 – The rising possibility of a warmer world in the... Show More + next two decades is magnifying the development challenges South East Asia is already struggling with, and threatens to reverse hard-won development gains, according to a new scientific report released today by the World Bank Group.Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts and the Case for Resilience, was prepared for the World Bank by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics. It builds on a World Bank report released late last year, which concluded the world would warm by 4 degrees Celsius[1] (4°C) above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century without concerted action now. This new report looks at the likely impacts of present day (0.8°C), 2°C[2] and 4°C warming on agricultural production, water resources, coastal ecosystems Show Less -

Investing in preparedness can help ensure inclusive growth BANGKOK, June 3, 2013 – Rapidly growing cities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to disasters in the East Asia Pacfic region due to poor... Show More + planning, with economic losses increasing dramatically as the region grows wealthier, says a new World Bank report. Policy makers can make a significant difference to ensure that progress in development and poverty reduction are not lost by acting now to build resilience. Investing in disaster preparedness -- from strengthening hazard forecast services to restoring natural ecosystems -- can be surprisingly cost-effective."East Asia Pacific is the region that is most affected by cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes and floods. To confront these disaster challenges, governments need to be prepared for the unexpected and undertake major investments in disaster risk management and resilience,” said World Bank East Asia and Pacific Vice President Axel van Trotsenburg. “In doing so, they sho Show Less -

Technical assistance to help the government expand access to electricity PORT MORESBY, May 29, 2013— Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Treasury, Hon. Don Polye, today signed the financing agreements with... Show More + the World Bank for a US$8.2 million Energy Sector Development Project at Vulupindi House. This project will provide technical assistance in support of the Government’s goal to increase electricity access from 10 percent today – one of the lowest electrification rates in the world – to 70 percent by 2030. “It is really important to develop clean energy options to meet the needs of PNG’s population,” said World Bank PNG Country Manager Laura Bailey at the signing. “The World Bank is pleased to be providing technical assistance to help the Government improve capacity in this sector so that over time they can deliver real change to people’s lives through improved access to electricity.”The project will be focused on providing expert advice to support the development of national policies on r Show Less -

A few large economies need to watch for possible overheating SINGAPORE, April 15, 2013 – Driven by strong domestic demand, economies of developing East Asia and Pacific continue to be an engine of global... Show More + growth, growing at 7.5 percent in 2012 -- higher than any other region in the world, says the World Bank in its latest analysis of the regional economy. As the global economy recovers, the report, released today, projects that regional growth will rise moderately to 7.8 percent in 2013 and ease to 7.6 percent in 2014. “The East Asia and Pacific region contributed around 40 percent of global growth in 2012, and the global economy continues to rely on the region’s growth, with investor confidence surging and financial markets remaining solid” said World Bank East Asia and Pacific Vice President Axel van Trotsenburg. “Now is the time for countries to focus on helping the remaining poor, with more and better quality investments to accelerate inclusive growth.” Fiscal and monetary policies Show Less -